CONTACT

The 5 Golden Rules of LinkedIn Etiquette

August 01, 2012

5 Comments

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I just logged onto my LinkedIn Account to find over 200 Connection Requests, I like limiting my LinkedIn time to once a week, as I enjoy reading peoples profiles, what others say about them in their recommendations, and even observe their job trends, what someone does for a living, their job description, skills, and career so a lot about them. So back to those 200 Connections, sometimes, I wonder, should there be a LinkedIn Manual on online etiquette.

Unlike Facebook, I am not there to socialize, rather to grow my personal network of professionals and to get acquainted to people where our career paths may cross, but then again, people add me on LinkedIn left, right, and center, and all of a sudden, I am bombarded, with jokes, email chains, ‘Hello thanks for the add, how old are you’ kind of messages and it just makes me cringe! Needless to say, I’m heading out to the movies shortly, and till then, I’ll be working on filtering out most of those unnecessary contacts.

Here’s a quick run-down, on what I strongly believe LinkedIn should be like:

Stop pushing your social updates on LinkedIn!

Your Facebook circle of friends are for that! Not your LinkedIn network. I don’t want to be bombarded with your Twitter feed on my LinkedIn either, if you are active on Twitter, trust me your content is trust worth for someone out there, including me, but I can follow you there.

Don’t ask for Recommendations/Endorsements from people you don’t know!

I’m sure you’ve been there, seen that and thought what the hell! Someone just added you and all of a sudden you are being bombarded with requests for an endorsement. It doesn’t work that way. Be specific when asking for a recommendation, both in job-title and who you are willing to ask for that recommendation, it needs to be someone who knows you, can write a thing or two about you, and someone relevant to the title/position you’re requesting the endorsement for.

On another note, remember what goes around, comes around, if you are connected to a friend/co-worker or candidate and have a few nice things to say, take the initiative and recommend them without having them ask you for an endorsement. Chance are they have a thing or two to say about you are high, and you’ll thank them for it later.

Upload a professional head shot as your profile picture

I couldn’t help but write this, although it should state the obvious, however, I just had someone send me a connection request on LinkedIn and they have a picture of their child as their LinkedIn profile picture! Big Big Big NO! I mean seriously! Keep that on Facebook, this isn’t the network or social platform for pictures other than a professional head shot of yourself.

Connect…Connect…Connect

So part of being social is about being out there, but not when it comes to LinkedIn! If you don’t know someone, don’t go adding them at random! Having one to many connections will devalue your current network of professionals, and you don’t want that! If anything, start by adding people you know, a few acquaintances, if it’s someone you had just met, had a coffee with, ran into in a workshop or conference, don’t be afraid to personalize, send that that invite, but include a message reminding them where you met them and why you’d like to remain connected! Chances are they will remember you down the line are high.

Be Polite, Remember, Please and Thank You take you the extra mile

Our mothers always told us this; always say please when you ask for something and thank you when someone offers something! How we manage to forget that in the digital sphere is beyond me. People always have something obnoxious to say about rude people, and many flattering compliments about those who are polite. Keep it simple, clean, and be polite out there, and you’ll always be remembered among your peers, co-workers, friends, and extended network, it’s always a pleasure to connect and work with someone who is polite, even behind a keyboard and a screen.

So that’s about it for now, feel free to share in any thoughts/tips or advices you believe should be shared online.

Very well written article… thumbs up! the problem with Linkedin – in my opinion – consists of two parts:

1. If you want to get the most out of LinkedIn, you need to upgrade your account (paid service) which is something not all the people around in the MENA region are willing to have, if they want to guarantee an InMail delivery

2. The services that attract people the most are not used by the MENA companies like jobs and business ads